Bong Joon Ho’s ‘Parasite’ Slated For HBO Show — What We Know
Bong Joon Ho stunned audiences in 2019 with his thrilling masterpiece about poverty and class differences, Parasite. It won a deserved Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language, and it seems that Parasite isn’t finished there.
In fact, Bong Joon Ho and HBO recently revealed that Parasite will be serialized in a television adaptation, but perhaps not in the way fans might expect. Here’s what’s been revealed so far.
‘Parasite’ has more stories to tell
Parasite has been widely recognized as an intricate and darkly funny tragedy detailing class difference as portrayed by a struggling Korean family that works its way into a wealthy family’s home. However, Bong Joon Ho says there are more stories to tell when it comes to Parasite.
As reported by Deadline, Bong explained, “With Parasite, while I was writing the script I had so many more ideas I couldn’t convey into the two-hour running time of the film. I knew that if I had a longer running time, I would be able to tell these stories, and that’s what I plan to talk about with Adam [McKay] pretty soon.”
The acclaimed director went on to add that Fanny and Alexander was proof that a television series could continue to tell a film’s story. He said, “Though I’m not very familiar with the TV industry, I really consider this limited series an expanded film that can delve deeper into the stories that didn’t make it into Parasite.”
While this is thrilling news for fans of the director’s work, there has been some concern about whether or not the feeling of the story will change under different leadership — and whether or not it will be in English, starring white actors.
Bong Joon Ho explained that it’s, “…still very much in the early stages. I’ll soon meet with Adam to talk about the setup. For now, a lot of things are open.”
Why Adam McKay and HBO?
When it comes to a television adaptation of his work, Bong Joon Ho has reasons for picking Adam McKay and HBO. It turns out the Parasite director respects Adam McKay quite a bit.
“I really liked Adam McKay’s The Big Short and I loved his sense of humor, and the sharp satire he conveyed about the current American politics,” said Bong Joon Ho, as reported by Deadline.
The director added, “Adam McKay and HBO have created the amazing show Succession, so they’re very reliable and amazing partners to have.”
Bong Joon Ho’s historic Oscar nominations
Meanwhile, Bong Joon Ho isn’t finished reaping the rewards of his astounding work just yet. In fact, he’s seen some historic nominations for Oscars already. Parasite has been nominated for Best Picture, the first Korean film to ever receive the nomination.
Parasite and Bong Joon Ho were also nominated for Best Director, International Film, and Original Screenplay, as well as a nomination for Editing and Production Design
Bong Joon Ho explained that international films are becoming more accessible to watchers worldwide, who are also becoming more willing to read subtitles.
He said, “I think this was the case not only for the US but for most countries including Korea, where audiences mainly watch domestic films or Hollywood blockbusters. It wasn’t very common for diverse films to cross continents and access different audiences. But I think audiences are opening up to these films and the fact that this Korean-language film was nominated for Oscars, and was really embraced by US audiences reflects that change of attitude. It’s sort of like a proof for how audiences are opening up.
